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Charles Laurence spins up a vortex

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Reading the Sunday papers always leaves me hungering for articles from real journalists but todays Sunday Mail outdoes itself carrying an article by Charles Laurence under the heading “How the Iraq war is destroying America’s fighting men” I couldn’t link to the article in the Sunday Mail but found it in a similarly low grade newspaper, The Daily Mail He quotes 240 of the 665 cases of military indiscipline in Iraq and Afghanistan involved drugs and alcohol. Let’s see now……with about 1,500,000 US GWOT veterans that calculates out at 1 in 6250 troops have been involved in drugs. I would say my North Brisbane suburban area has a far worse drug related crime rate than the 240 for the area and that is with only about 50,000 people. He comes up with some real crime;
To get an idea of how deep into depravity some of these men have sunk, here is just one of the sex offences: in March, 2006, a group of men – again from the 101st Airborne Division – gang-raped a 14-year-old girl, and then murdered her and her family.
In one case as long ago as May 2004, when President Bush was declaring ‘victory’ and the vast majority of Americans were still cheering him on, Private Justin Lillis got drunk on illicit whisky on his base in Balad, stole a Humvee and went on a rampage, shooting up a residential neighbourhood with his M16 rifle, before taking pot shots at the guards on the entrance to his own base.
Unquestionably depraved but there will always be bad eggs in any basket. One depraved crime doesn’t point to a whole army as depraved.
He quotes Seventy-three of those 240 cases were the most serious yet known from these two wars: murder, rape, robbery and assault.
Just a question: how many of these 73 cases were rape and murder and how many were robbery and assault. Lumping them together makes a mockery of statistics and as the Left have claimed, playing music too loud in a cell constitutes assault or torture.
Another remarkable statistic can be no co-incidence: a record number of women soldiers – as many as one-third of the total returning from tours in Iraq – are coming home pregnant.
They are mostly young, fit people. What does Laurence expect them to do when not on patrol – go to prayer meetings? Take along woman to a war zone and it’s going to happen…human nature.
For years, the Pentagon has banned the taking of photographs of returning coffins, while President Bush has refused to attend funerals because honouring the dead was deemed bad for public relations.
The President hasn’t ‘refused’ to attend funerals at all. He has done what all presidents have done and that’s run the country. If he was to attend funerals he’d spend one day every week doing so
It all points to another shocking statistic: almost one in three of troops returning from the Iraq and Afghan fronts in need of health care are wounded not in the body, but in the mind.
The younger the soldiers, the greater the incidence of post traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, alcoholism and drug addiction. This third compares with 10 per cent of Vietnam veterans – survivors of a war so far considered to have produced an unprecedented number of mental casualties.
That is simply wrong. Stats for the Vietnam War indicate about 30% had symptons of PTSD and that nearly 19 percent still suffer from the disorder. These stats are from a Harvard University report and not some Veteran’s group. There are other factors involved here; one is a certain percentage of PTSD suffering has been caused by the general rejection of the troops by the media (such as this report) and their campaign to treat them as inferior veterans simply because they fight terrorists or in my time, communists. Another factor is that Veterans and Veteran’s Affairs departments now recognize PTSD whereas before it took Vietnam Veterans 20 odd years to get the disorder recognized. The Iraq veterans are being diagnosed as they return home. Ther is no question that the events descibed by Charles happen in a war. An army is a reflection of society with all it’s faults and no one expects every soldier to be an angel. To take some isolated stats and spin them negatively only points out the obvious. To misrepresent stats as he has done only points out another obvious fact – he is biased against the US and Bush for ideological reasons making anything he says as just static in the background of a complicated problem. Still, it is the Sunday papers.
War on Terror

The Planet has a fever

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Head Priest of the Church of the Latter Day Alarmists, Al Gore is quoted as saying;
“The planet has a fever. If your baby has a fever, you go to the doctor. If the doctor says you need to intervene here, you don’t say, ‘well, I read a science fiction novel that tells me it’s not a problem.’ “
Some more rational responses from Best of the Web Today. Reader Scott Jacobson questions Gore’s premise:

Overreacting is common among parents. I remember one morning when my first child was still an infant. Imagine my horror when I discovered that her temperature had risen to 99.5 degrees, almost a whole degree in just under 12 hours. Naturally, I immediately sat down and built a computer model, which clearly projected that by age 30, her temperature was going to be a staggering 19,710 degrees!

And Kelly Murphy puts things in perspective nicely:
So let me see if I have this right. According to Al Gore, I would have to be an idiot to decide, after reading “a science-fiction novel” (he must be referring to “State of Fear”) that it’s OK to go about living my life in a normal fashion. Instead, I should see one science-fiction movie (his) and run screaming out of the theater prepared to change every aspect of my life to avoid certain destruction.
Gore’s a fool but it’s amazing how many swallow the panic. I meant to say, you know, it’s true – I saw it on Channel 10.
Climate Change

Deification of Uranium continues

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Peter Beattie now thinks uranium is OK. I guess that’s in reaction to a call from his mate Kevin.
A STAUNCH critic of the Labor Party’s move to lift a ban on new uranium mines, Queensland Premier Peter Beattie has sensationally backed down, allowing for the development of up to $3.2billion in uranium deposits in the state.
His rationalization of this astounding ‘about face’;
…. Mr Beattie told The Australian he had reluctantly accepted independent advice that increased uranium mining would not threaten Queensland’s coal industry.
Threaten our coal industry…rubbish. I can just see our coal buyers saying ” Beattie says uranium is OK after all. Let’s change from coal to uranium overnight”. “What’s that? It take a decade to build a nuclear reactor..ah well lets just stop buying coal anyway and not have power until the reactors are on-line” The No New Mines policy does have to change but can we have some honesty in the debate.
Politics

Kruddy hell

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Shades of Whitlam. It now appears Rudd only consulted two other members of his party before he announced spending the future security of the country on an election promise of dubious value. Kevin’s about face on the sale of Telstra may well come up at the impending ALP conference. Has he got the measure of the Left or is it just policy without consultation? Rudd, in his messages to the party Left announces he will now accept the Coalition’s answers to the Indiginous problems. The Left are not going to be happy and I for one, look forward to the ALP conference. Should be more blood on the floor than on the ground on a bad day in Baghdad It commits a Labor government to making a formal apology over the so-called stolen generation. I would like to think it also commits a Labour government to making an formal apology for the years of troubles occassioned by Whitlam, Coombs and Hawke as they spread their socialist ‘Noble Savage Outstation’ answer. Isolate, don’t educate, accept the dole, shut up and exist under separate laws. Oh, and if the dole’s not enough here’s a suitcase with $35, 000 cash per family. Drink it and buy a new Toyota – don’t bother, no need to spend it on the future. Kevin reads the riot act on schools but the Teachers still haven’t got it.
The Australian Education Union, which represents government schools, believes there is still an imbalance in the present funding arrangements, under which public schools receive about 35 per cent of the federal funds while educating about 70 per cent of the students.
Public schools receive 35% of federal funds because education is a state issue and the states pay for the state schools. The Feds only help out. You’ll need more than words Kevin – try baseball bats. I think you will find some still under the squatters chairs on the verandahs of Queensland houses, left over from the last time the ALP screwed the country.
Politics

Imams urged to be lifesavers and fireys

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Yeah, right!
In a report to be considered by imams at a meeting this weekend, Lebanese Muslim Association president Tom Zreika likens the unpopularity of Muslims to attitudes to communists, and urges spiritual leaders to improve the image of Islam in Australia. Mr Zreika says in the report, commissioned by the powerful LMA, that Australians have “had enough of us”.
The report goes on “It would be great to see a turbaned imam fighting fires alongside other bushfire service volunteers. Headlines for Mr Zreika. Imams don’t do community service of that kind. They stand in pulpits and exhort young men to be angry young men. The young men in question, those with sufficient education to send the thoughts of the Imams to the boundary, may well join our society one day if they haven’t already but the old men – I doubt it. Retire them and get some new blood up the front of the congegration. Have them talk of love and understanding, of freedom to follow the God of your choice, of the equality of women and how the Koran offers good advice but tranliteration leads to despair. Join mainstream Australia or go back to some Sharia bound country locked in the 12th century. It aint here. Tom Zreika is right when he says that Australians have “had enough of us” and I do believe he is headed in the right direction when he urges spiritual leaders to improve the image of Islam in Australia. From such a low base as exists today, any improvement would help.
Uncategorized

Honeymoon just keeps on getting better

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Rudd’s riding a huge wave of media deification and as sure as the waves will hit the shore and breakup the honeymoon is pre-nuptial and thus unreal. Every married person knows the work starts after the honeymoon where couples see each other in a less rosy view. ‘Howard Arrogant’ shouts the Australian – give me a break. Howard may be lots of things but arrogant he aint. Of the two, could I suggest Rudd has the most positive attitude towards his own abilities vis-a-vis the abilities of those around him. The polls say Rudd is more experienced…at what? And this ‘well he would say that wouldn’t he‘ pearler from Bob Hawke
The last Labor leader to enjoy such support, Bob Hawke, yesterday suggested the Howard Government was staggering towards defeat and Kevin Rudd would be invincible by the end of the year. “We’re getting to the stage where it’s time,” Mr Hawke said.
If the Australian went to the trouble of soliciting old politicians opinions why stop at Bob. Keating and Whitlam who between them redefined arrogance would have said the same. Even Hewson and Fraser could be relied upon to dump on Howard but I guess Steve Lewis and Samantha Maiden needed to leave room to list all the perceived visions of an empire falling to bits. Recycled and perceived events such as evoking memories of the 2001 “mean and tricky” memo from then Liberal Party president Shane Stone…government MPs ..sniping at each other during sometimes heated partyroom meetings….criticised the Prime Minister for failure to appoint another Queenslander to the ministry…One Coalition MP said a number of backbenchers were miffed with the Treasurer. If the report of Mark Twain’s death was an egaggeration then so is any suggestion that Howard is dead and it is not in the human conscousness for honeymoons to last forever. The big question is, will it last up to the election? I doubt it
Politics

Polls down but not final score

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Pundits queue up to write John Howard off. A bit early for me – we still have to hear Labour’s policies and when we do will Rudd be able to shut the Left up. Will the coalminers vote Labour when they fear that given the chance they would close the mines to pay back the Left and garner Green votes. WIll the education unions across Australia accept Rudds policies and if not, how loud will they be. The polls are bad and if the Libs keep on losing MPs and Senators over stupid errors, they won’t be getting any better. However I can’t see that happening and it won’t be long before Howard’s house will have been cleaned of deadwood – what then…the debate has to go back to Rudd’s credibility. Will it stack up? Early signs are that it won’t. Whatever the polls say, there is a thought in the back of a lot of peoples minds that Rudd has been found to be easy with the truth. The Bourke affair, you might reason, is dead and buried but an image has been imprinted on a number of minds and it’s shaky. Some think his mea culpa at the press conference was admirable – could I suggest he called the press conference to say things that were too dangerous to say in the house. Rudd wants it both ways. He accuses Howard and co of personally attacking him yet he was one of the most prolific attack dogs in the house…incompetant…stupid…and othe insults rolling off his toungue but he cries foul when more temperate language flows back. He accuses Howard of taking us to war based on lies yet he himself has said;
There is no debate or dispute as to whether Saddam Hussein possesses weapons of mass destruction. He does.
Still getting it together, I think. There is still a long way to go before we vote.
Politics

PM in Emergency Landing

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From Defence Media

A Royal Australian Air Force C-130 Hercules transport aircraft carrying the Prime Minister (PM) and Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) was required to make an emergency landing at Tallil airfield in Southern Iraq last night AEST.

The Prime Minister, The Honourable John Howard and the Chief of the Defence Force Air Chief Marshall Angus Huston, had just completed a visit to troops of the Overwatch Battle Group (OBG(W)) and the Australian Army Training Team Iraq.

The party were travelling to Baghdad when minutes after take off smoke and fumes were noticed in the cabin of the aircraft.

The crew immediately called a PAN (Possible Assistance Necessary) and returned to Tallil.

From take off to landing the incident took no more than five (5) minutes.

 Both the PM and the CDF were full of praise regarding the actions of the crew.

 The Prime Minster said, “I am fine. I was in very good hands. You can’t get any better than the RAAF. It was a really good performance and I want to thank everyone.”

The CDF said “It was the sensible thing to do in the circumstances. I can’t fault their actions. The evacuation was done very, very quickly and efficiently.”

 The PM, CDF and all on board were uninjured. The group transferred to a second C-130 and continued their journey.

A bad week for the PM

General Musings

Legacy, Cambodia and cars

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Legacy Militaria Auction…..now that explains my lack of blogging. Just after the planning week and conference for a reunion of 7RAR, my Vietnam Alma Mater, I had to catch up on work for the Cambodia project as the Professor running the Asian end came to Australia to see us. Much planning and spreadsheets in between evening dinners as we went firm on plans to set up a village in Kampot Cambodia as a pepper plantation with housing, wells, irrigation and farmyard animals to feed 20 families. I penned this article for a local church newsletter this week – it explains what we are trying to achieve.
Kampot Cambodia. A long way from Brisbane but close to the heart of a group of locals intent on changing the lives of people in poverty stricken Cambodia. After the ravages of Pol Pot, Cambodia is in dire straights and needs help .During a conversation between three men In Hanoi two years ago they resolved to stop talking about it and actually do something. Kampot, the name of a town and a province about 150 kilometres SW of Phnom Penh, is home to Cambodia’s pepper culture. Kampot pepper is renowned as one of the world’s finest and in Colonial days a French Chef in Paris wouldn’t dare offer diners a meal without Kampot Pepper. Pol Pot put an end to this very successful industry and it is the return of pepper cultivation that the group see as offering hope for the locals. Prof. Adrie P. van Gelderen, an associate professor at Hanoi University believes that ” Education is the answer to structural and sustainable improvement of people’s living standards” He was one of the originators of the scheme along with Brian O’Reilly from Nudgee College. The plan involves purchasing 22 hetares of land (already achieved), building local architecture housing, digging wells and planting a small pepper plantation. The Cambodians will be selected from dispossessed local family units and it is planned to have 20 such families involved within five years. The mothers will be given a small plot of land to grow food, pigs and chickens will be provided along with fencing to secure them while the men will be paid local labour rates to develop the plantation and plant and tend other fruit trees for cash crops. It is envisaged the project will eventuate in the parents becoming sufficiently secure so as to encourage them to send their children to the local school. While Professor Van Gelederen is handling the Asian end of setting up a local NGO in Kampot the Australian end, all recruited by Brian O’Reilly, travelled to Kampot last December at their own expense to see first-hand the magnitude of the problem. Other than a second hand utility and a small salary for a Cambodian Project Manager all funds will go to the housing and plantation infrastructure. There will be no Toyota 100 Series vehicles or western salaries involved in the project. In the hills around Kampot, where Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge made their last stand against the Vietnamese; where previously they had summarily executed all the Village elders, the teachers, the beauracrats and trades people, there now exists some hope for the future and it’s people from our own community in North Brisbane that will make it happen Kev Gillett TAIGUM
When that was all settled I had to start a three week stint at Legacy helping with catalogueing, photographing, valueing and maintaining a database for some 400 lots whilst building a web page to make it available to our interstate and international bidders. The website is here Go visit and peruse. You can download a catalogue and over the next two days all pics should be posted. Bid on some history (phone and email bids available) and help the War Widows and their kids. Legacy still has over 100,000 widows on their books. Whilst at Legacy today I had to sort out computer problems but all I wanted to was play with my new car. Ah yes…new car. I drive a Series II V8 Discovery and of late have been thinking of changing the V8 for a Discovery deisel. (I must have noticed the fuel bill) I took one for a test drive and was disappointed -moving from a 4.0 li V8 to a 2.6 li TD5 deisel does that to a man. I missed the flick of the right toe that pushed the 180 hp driven two tonne vehicle past all but the fastest traffic and I definitely missed the fact that the whole exercise was smooth and exhilerating. My long suffering wife took one look at my face and remarked…” We’re not getting a deisel, are we? No comment but the next day I heard of a good vehicle in a car yard nearby and went and looked at it. A 2001 V8 Range Rover (I’m moving a long way from the deisel). It looked great and drove well but it was relatively cheap so I presumed something was wrong with it. I took it the people who have looked after my Land Rovers for years and got them to give it a pre- purchase check over. Nothing wrong with it….I did the deal. I see the car as a means of winding up Greenies and all those who believe the Gospel of the Later Day Alarmists. You know the type…Tim Flannery, for example, who believes I should be walking to work or at most driving a Prius. Others suggest the sea rises will force me into a boat but I don’t believe that either. Some research indicates the Range Rover is one of the most prolific of all vehicles in manufacture of CO2. It continually rapes Mother Earth with it’s fuel sonsumption and if I concentrate I can terrify Greenies as I pass them on the highway. In fact the vehicle is so bad that the company who make then have a Carbon-offset programme. The vehicle behind is a 1966 Series Two Land Rover that has all the anti-green qualities of it’s big brother minus power, comfort, accessories and youth. My wife said it was one or the other so the old Landie is up for sale. I’m glad she didn’t say it’s me or the car….I just hate hard decisions!
General Musings

Near miss the only news

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A Chinook is fired at without any hits and it makes the press. I guess you’d call that good news

AUSTRALIAN soldiers and journalists have experienced a close call in Afghanistan when Taliban insurgents fired on their helicopter. Television footage shot by SBS cameraman Jamie Kidston on board the chopper on Monday shows what appears to be a rocket-propelled grenade missing the Chinook by about 20m.

Australian commander at Kandahar, Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Humphreys said today the crew were unaware of the close call until after a review of the TV tapes.

A miss makes the news because journalists captured it on video but the crew and military pax on board wouldn’t have ever raised the issue.

Mildly interesting but really it’s just part of the job.

War on Terror
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